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'Iron Man 2' is No. 1 overseas again

'Alice,' 'Titans,' 'Elm Street,' 'Dragon' round out top 5

Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 2" ruled the foreign theatrical circuit over the weekend for the second straight stanza, taking the No. 1 spot with $58.4 million from 10,774 locations in 61 markets, and hoisting its accumulated overseas boxoffice total to $194.2 million.

That puts the sequel to 2008's "Iron Man" $70.8 million shy of the original's total foreign gross after only 12 days of international play (it began its offshore run on April 28). Of the cume so far, $188 million was derived from territories handled by Paramount International, which is handling "Iron man 2" costarring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow in most offshore markets.

"Iron Man 2" got a huge weekend boost from its China opening where the Jon Favreau-directed sequel drew an estimated $7.3 million from about 3,000 situations.

Paramount reports the China opening tally is a full 209% better than "Iron Man's" comparable opening market figure. In Germany (via local distributor Concorde), "Iron Man 2" opened No. 1 to $3.6 million from 633 screens. Austria also opened No. 1 via Concorde.

"Iron Man 2" also finished No. 1 in Korea ($4.4 million from 895 locations for a market cume of $22.1 million), Australia, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, Italy and Mexico where the second weekend tally was $2.67 million from 481 locations for a market cume of $13.4 million.

In France, the sequel snared the No. 2 spot with $4.85 million from 722 locations for a market cume of $15.9 million over two frames. In the U.K., "Iron Man 2" took the No. 1 spot with $4.8 million drawn from 522 spots for a market cume of $22.6 million.

Paramount opened "Iron Man 2" a week before its domestic bow over the weekend to maximize foreign playtime before the June 11-July 11 World Cup soccer tournament eats into theatrical audiences, especially those for action titles. As it also handled the original, Paramount is distributing the sequel. But "Iron Man 2" is the first Marvel theatrical release since Disney acquired the company last year.

Competition with "Iron Man 2" for the top overseas spot this coming weekend will heat up considerably as Universal opens its summer tentpole, director Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood" starring Russell Crowe, in some 56 markets. After making its debut at the International Festival du Cannes on May 12, "Hood" begins its foreign run in France and Russia plus four other territories. (The film's domestic run begins May 14.)

Finishing second on the weekend was Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," which collected an estimated $12.5 million from 5,946 situations in 54 markets. Overseas cume for director Tim Burton's 3D reworking of the Lewis Carroll classic stands at $629.5 million over 10 rounds, making "Alice" the tenth biggest overseas boxoffice release ever.

A fourth weekend in Japan secured $5.7 million from 878 screens, raising the market total to nearly $100 million (91.7 million). "Alice's" worldwide cume is $960.3 million, placing the title No. 8 on the all-time top boxoffice chart.

No. 3 on the weekend was Warner Bros.' "Clash of the Titans," which has accumulated an overseas gross of $295.1 million -- of which $192 million derives from 3D venues -- after a $8.8 million weekend at more than 7,200 screens in 61 markets.

No. 4 was Warners/New Line Cinema's "A Nightmare on Elm Street," the latest in the 26-year-old horror franchise featuring serial killer Freddy Krueger. Openings in Russia (via Karo Premier, which drew an estimated $3.2 million from 525 locations), the U.K. (No. 4 in the market with $2 million from 354 spots) Brazil and Argentina generated $6.7 million from some 1,200 screens.

20th Century Fox's "Date Night" had a decent bow in Italy and drew $4.5 million overall on the weekend from 2,500 screens in 50 territories. The marital action comedy costarring Steve Carell and Tina Fey has grossed a total of $41.6 million so far overseas. Openings are due this week in four markets, including France.

Sony's "The Back-Up Plan," the romantic comedy with Jennifer Lopez, opened in Russia and the U.K. (where it ranked fifth with $1 million drawn from 279 locations) and drew $4.4 million overall from 1,309 spots in 24 markets. Cume stands at $6.7 million.

Hit French comedy, "Camping 2," drew $4.9 million from 755 sites in France only, raising its market cume to a solid $26.2 million over three stanzas. The Pathe release, which finished the weekend's No. 1 in the market, is the sequel to 2006's "Camping," which grossed more than $40 million in France.

Opening a nifty No. 2 in the U.K. (via E1 Entertainment) was Summit Entertainment's production of "Furry Vengeance," a family comedy directed by Roger Kumble and starring Brendan Fraser. Debut weekend produced $2.66 million from 428 locations.

New to the France market was "L'amour, c'est mieu a deux," a romantic comedy from co-directors Dominique Farrugia and Arnaud Lemort. The Studio Canal release drew a No. 3 ranking in the market, collecting $2.75 million from 329 screens.